iDecide
by deviocity
Summary: The event that led Marissa Benson to support a relationship between her son and Samantha Puckett.


**iDecide **

_Summary:_ The event that led Marissa Benson to support a relationship between her son and Samantha Puckett.

_Disclaimer:_ iCarly not mine.

_A/N:_ This one-shot is unrelated to any of my other stories.

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For the first time in twenty days, Marissa Benson left work on time. Miraculously, no one had called in sick, was on vacation, or was running extremely late due to traffic; thus, leaving her free to return home and _not _take on another shift to cover for her absentee coworker. As thankful as she was that her nurse's wage allowed her to raise her son—and a tech savvy son at that—on her own, she was starting to dread the extra work hours that were part of the nursing career norm. After all, she wasn't as young as she used to be. But for now, she was going to forget about the hospital and enjoy the fact that she had returned home on time after working the night shift.

A wave of relief passed her when she finally reached the door of her apartment. (A part of her was expecting her supervisor to call her back.) As quietly as she could, she unlocked her door and opened it so as not to disturb Freddie, who was most likely still asleep that Saturday morning. A smile formed on her face as she thought of having breakfast with him. They have not eaten breakfast together in so long. Then she thought of an even better idea: They could _prepare _their breakfast together. _Oh, how much fun that would be_, she thought. The smile on her face grew.

She quickly placed her bag atop the coffee table, took off her coat, and hung it on the coat stand. Then she quietly made her way towards her son's room. Once in front of the door, she lifted her hand to knock, but stopped when she heard voices.

"Where are you going?" Freddie's voice sounded muffled through the door. Marissa's smile disappeared and her eyebrows came together in confusion.

"Where do you think? I'm getting out of here." Marissa let out a soft gasp, which she quickly stifled with her raised hand, when she heard the unmistakable voice of Samantha Puckett. _What on earth is she doing in my baby boy's room? _Marissa wasn't entirely sure, but she believed it was a mixture of curiosity, shock, and fear of what she might see that kept her rooted to her spot and not barge into Freddie's bedroom._  
_

"Sam, stay. We've got to talk about what happened." Marissa quickly stopped the thought of anything…_sexual_ happening between her son and that _delinquent_ from manifesting in her head. _There's no way Freddie would do something that stupid…right? I mean, that girl was always so _horrible_ to him._

"It wasn't supposed to happen. So let's just forget about it, okay?" said Sam in exasperation.

"If you're looking for your bra, it's on the floor near the closet," Freddie said in amusement. Marissa winced, refusing to believe her son had said those words.

"_Thanks_," Samantha replied sarcastically.

"I don't think I can forget about this, Sam. This isn't like last time. This is _way_ bigger than first kisses." Marissa was surprised. She had been so sure it was that Carly girl who had given her son his first kiss. After all, she did catch that hussy taking advantage of her baby boy when he'd gotten horribly injured. And she would never forget that it was because of _her_ that Freddie had been broken in the first place.

Freddie continued to speak, breaking through Marissa's thoughts. "Sam, we made lo—

"Don't you _dare_ finish that!" Sam exclaimed. "It was just…_sex_," she hissed the last word.

"It wasn't just sex, and you know it," Freddie's voice said confidently. "We made love Sam. The first time for both of us. Sure, it had been a spur of the moment thing, but it _did_ happen and it _meant_ something. I don't regret it. And I sure as hell don't want to forget about it." Marissa scolded herself when she realized that she was more shocked at her son's cursing than she was about finding out he'd been intimate with the delinquent.

"Well, _I_ regret it." Silence.

"Really?" Freddie sounded so hurt, so heartbroken that Marissa wanted to burst through the door and have Samantha take back what she'd said.

"Yes," Sam said louder than necessary. "We just made things a hell of a lot more complicated, don't you see? This shouldn't have happened."

"Complicated? How? Sam, I have feelings for you—

"Stop! Just shut up, Freddie. Don't do this."

"—And I know you feel the same way," Freddie continued, ignoring Sam's pleas. "Why don't you just admit it?"

"There's nothing to admit. And I _can't_ have feelings for you. You're Carly's."

"Sam," Freddie started exasperatedly. "Carly and I only went out for _three days_. And that was over two and a half _years_ ago. We were never right together then. And we don't feel anything romantic for each other now. You _know_ that."

"Freddie, you're not thinking straight. You _do_ love Carly. Remember, you're going to be her second husband. It's all part of your _master plan_," she finished mockingly. "How are you going to convince her to marry you if she finds out you've slept with her best friend—_Damn it_!"

Marissa heard the squeak of Freddie's bed springs followed by footsteps.

"Let me zip you up," she heard Freddie say.

"I could do it myself," Samantha said indignantly.

"Look, I'm trying to have a conversation with you, but you're not going to be listening if you're too busy cursing and getting frustrated at your zipper. Please stop being stubborn and turn around," Freddie pleaded. It was silent for a few seconds. "There. Wasn't it easier having me help you?" Samantha scoffed loudly.

"No, it wasn't. Now put on some clothes!" Freddie chuckled.

"Why? Is my nakedness distracting you?" Marissa's eyes went wide in shock. How could her innocent Freddie talk so…_provocatively_? She decided it was because of the shows on television. Oh, how she wished she hadn't given into his wishes three years ago and kept the channels on the television blocked.

"Just put on the shorts, Benson," Samantha commanded.

"Fine," Freddie said. "Happy?"

"Very much so," Samantha said sarcastically. "Now help me find my shoes."

"No. You'll leave when you find them, and I don't want you to."

"We're not going for Round 2, Benson."

"Could you please stop acting dumb, Sam? You know why I want you to stay. We have to talk about this."

"No we don't. Aha! Found one. One to go."

"You know, you've got to stop using Carly as an excuse. I know you two have this whole Best Friend Code thing where you don't date each other's exes, but I don't think Carly would care if we started dating. In fact, I think she'd be happy for us. Plus, if you really wanted to get technical, I'd say that I _belong_," he stressed, "to you since I kissed you first, and Carly was the one who violated the _Code_."

"You use air quotes one more time, Benson, and I'll break your fingers," threatened Sam.

"Fine! Don't need to get violent," he stated in panic. Then he cleared his throat, and his voice was calmer when he spoke again. "But seriously, Carly wouldn't mind if we got together. I know she's not in love with me, and I'm definitely not in love with her_._ I'm in love with y—

"Shut it!"

"Why don't you want to hear me say it?" Freddie asked softly. "Are you afraid?"

"Yes!" Samantha exclaimed loudly. "I meant 'no.' I mean…just help me find my shoe," she finished pathetically.

"Tell me what you're feeling Sam. _Please_." Freddie sounded desperate.

"This is wrong, Freddie," Samantha began slowly. "We can't be together. It will ruin everything. _I_ will ruin everything….And I don't want to hold you back—_Shut it and let me finish!_" There was a pause in which Marissa assumed Freddie nodded. "I won't allow _this_, whatever _this_ is, to continue. You're not thinking things all the way through, nub. What happens in a few months? What happens when we graduate and you move to Massachusetts to attend MIT? Long distance relationships don't always work out, especially for people as young as us—

"Who said I'll be going to MIT?"

"You applied there didn't you? MIT will be stupid not to accept you, with your grades and talent and all. It's a given. And I'll deny it if you ever tell anyone I said that."

"But who said that I will accept their offer?" Silence followed his question, and Marissa could feel the tension oozing through the wooden door.

_They must be having another one of their staring contests_, she thought.

"This is exactly why we cannot be together," Samantha said without emotion. Marissa panicked slightly as she heard footsteps coming towards the door.

"Wait, Sam!"

"Let go of me!"

"No! Not until we finish talking. Tell me what you're thinking." Sam sighed loudly.

"I'm thinking that you're a dork. A sweet but stupid dork." Sam paused. "I know you, Freddie, and I know that you'll give up MIT just to be with me if we were together. I won't be the reason you'll ruin your life."

"Well, _I_ think I'll ruin my life if I leave knowing that you love me as much as I love you."

"Your plans—

"Plans change Sam. And those plans you keep bringing up belong to a naïve little boy who thought he was in love with the girl next door. I'm not that kid anymore, Sam. I grew up, and my plans changed. The only way I'll be leaving Seattle now is if you leave with me. And since I know you won't, I'll attend the U-Dub with you and Carly. I mean, the U-Dub's an awesome school. And the Computer Engineering program there is one of the best in the country. I don't need to move to another state to study something I can study here."

"Well, what if I _don't_ love you?" Sam asked harshly. "Will you still stay in Seattle?" Another intense silence followed.

"No," Freddie admitted quietly. "It will hurt too much."

Marissa's eyes widened at that revelation. As much as she wanted her son to follow his long-time dream and attend MIT, she hated that Massachusetts was so far away. But now, she has learned that there _was _a way to keep him in Seattle. And that way was through Samantha Puckett.

_Sure, she has no manners or a sense of decorum,_ Marissa began thinking,_ but Samantha has proven to be academically smart these last two years when she actually applied herself. She's also strong-willed and has a lot of self-respect. Plus, she seems to love and care about my Freddie very much. She wouldn't be trying so hard to push him away if she didn't. I guess Freddie could do a lot worse than Samantha Puckett._

Marissa came out of her thoughts realizing that she had missed the continuation of the debate between her son and the object of his love. She knew their argument could last hours. But they could stop now. If his being with Samantha would keep her son close to her, then their debate on whether to be together or not was no longer necessary.

Marissa was going to decide for them.

She raised a closed fist to the wooden door and tapped her knuckles twice in quick succession. The heated voices from the other side immediately ceased.

"Freddie, dear, why don't you use my shower to get cleaned up while Samantha uses yours? And lend her some of your clothes to change into. I'll try to have breakfast ready by the time you two are finished. And don't worry Samantha, I'm on my way over at the Shay's to borrow some bacon and ham right now." With that, Marissa Benson walked away with a look of accomplishment on her smiling face.

**End**

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**A/N: FYI, "U-Dub" is what we affectionately call the University of Washington. Please review.


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